Suction-cleaner



W. W. HOSENFIELD.

SUCTION CLEANER.

APPLICATION man ocns. 19H- 1,348,586. Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

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96$: 7 MM W R am adapted.

a brus To all whom it mag/concern:

ing at New York cit ,,'in the county of New the lips of the nozzle cleaned, alt

shall be 'eflicient in cleaning carpets or survided in the mouth of'the 'UNITED STATES PATENT orncs.

roan, 1:. Y., assrenon. 'ro ELECTRIC vacuum a conrona'rron or NEW YORK.

wnmrm w. manner-n, or new cnrmm comrmv, mo.

summon-cream Patented kug. 3, 1920.

Application flied pctober i, 1917. Serial No. 194,861.

, I by its engagement with, the carpet or other W. RosaN- surface to be cleaned without preventing residthe desired degree otseali contact between 'laiid "it said carpet .or

1 348 581 Specification of Letters Patent.

Be it known that 1,,WILLIAM new, a citizen of the" United States,

York and State of ew York, have invented material. Another object of the invention certain new and useful Improvements in is the provision of an improved runnin Suction-Cleaners fully described and repsupport for the cleaner which is readily a resented in the following specification and ustable fonvarying the position ofthe nozthe accompanying drawings, forming a part zle with respect to the surface to be cleaned of the same. a according to the character of such surface.

This invention relates to improvements in a A ful understandin of the invention can suction cleanersyand more as ecially to suobest be given by a detailed description of an tion cleaners ofi the self-contained type, that illustrative em odiment of the same in the is, of the kind i which the motor, fan, dirt form now considered best, and such a de receptacle. and c aning nozzle are mounted scri tion will now be given. in connection to move tolgetheis ger the surface to be wit the accompan ing drawings illustratoug some of the features of .mg such an embo iment of the invention, the invention are \suitable for use in connecand in which tion with other forms of suction cleaning Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a devices. The invention aims generally to self contained suction cleaner embodying the grovide 1- an' improved cleaner which shall var ous features of the invention;

e efiicient in operation and convenient forv F1 2 1s a gartial view similar to Fi .1 use for the various purposes for which it is but s owing t e Iiozzle adjusted to a di er- I s y s ent position in .relatioh to the surface to be Oneof the "objects of my invention is to cleaned; I provide an improved suction cleaner which Fig. 3 is anenlar ed partial sectional elevation of one of t e rear running wheels faces of various character andin takin up and of the means for adjusting the same to threads, fibers, and similar articles w ch position the nozzle; I tend to adhere tothe surf ce being cleaned. Fig. 4 is a bottomv plan view of the In 'devces of this char cter heretofore cleaner; J known, a disturbing member-has been pro- Figb 5 1s. a sectional elevation of the A nozzle to loosen cleaner nozzle taken on the line 5-5 of or disturb'the threads,etc., so as to enable 4'; I t themto be readily picked up by-thecurrent 1g. 6 1s a cross-sectional view of the nozof airentering the cleaner nozzle.- The diszle taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5 and showing turbin member, especially ifinthe form of the d1sturb1ng member supported in op- %1 soon becomes clogged Evith tiliiie erative position in the nozzlean its e is accordingly greatly interfered Fi 7 is a view similar to threads, fibers, and othefidirt,

the isturb'mg member supported out ofthe ciency A with. My inventlon aims to provide a sucnozzle; v 7

tion cleaner wherein a rotary or other dis- Fig. Sis an enlarged partial elevation of turbin'g member is capable of being rendered the means for holdmgthe-supporting memmovableso as to be capable of supporting end readily. accessible to permit cleaning there-'" her for the thread-disturbing member in opof, and to this end, it provides a mounting erative positionwithin the nozzle; and for the thread-disturbing member which 'is Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of the upper of the handle rod and the parts conthe said member in operative 'position in nected thereto, and illustrating the manthe mouth of the cleaner nozzle or to carry ner of holding the coiled conductor cable of the same to a position out of the mouth of the apparatus when the latter is not-in use. the nozzle. A further object of the inven- Re erring to the drawings, the suction tion is to provide in a suction c eaner with cleaner shown has a body formed of a motor a movable disturbing member improved casing 10 within which an electric motor is for moving the dtigturbing mounted, a fan casing 11 containing a cenand driven trifugal fan connected directly with and traction means member arranged to'run over,

Fig. 6 showing driven by the motor, and a nozzle 12 extending downwardly from the front of the fan casing. The nozzle is as usual extended transversely at the bottom to provide a eomparatively long and narrow suction inlet opening or mouth between the lips of the nozzle and is provided near the endsthereof, but at a slight distance therefrom, with rear wardly projecting hollow extensions 43 and 45, the object of which will appear more fully hereinafter. These extensions open at their fronts directly into the body portion of the mouth of the nozzle, and are open at the bottom, the lower edges thereof desirably forming parts of the lips of the nozzle. The body is mounted on a pair of running wheels or rollers 13 and 14 located adjacent to the nozzle and to the rear of the body portion thereof in a position which will be hereinafter more fully described, and a pair of rear running wheels or rollers 15, all of said wheels or rollers being arranged for run ning over the surface to be cleaned. All of the running wheels may be provided, as shown, with peripheral portions of suitable material, such as rubber, to reduce the noise and jar of the wheels as they run over the surface to be cleaned. The cleaner is operated by a pivoted handle rod 16 and is provided with a porous dirt receptacle or bag 17 connected at its lower end with the dischar e throat or conduit 18 extending backwarrfiy from the fan casing, the upper end of the bag being supported by a suitable connection, such as the chain 23 and spring clip 24, to the upper end of the handle rod. The end of the discharge conduit to which the bag is connected is approximately in the axis on which the handle rod is pivoted, so that no strain on or-undue slackness of the bag results in any position of the handle rod through its normal range of movement. The handle rod 16, as shown, is pivoted to the casing 11 by means of a yoke 19 (see Fig. 2) for movement about the axis of the pivot 20; and the yoke may be locked in any position of its movement about its pivotal axis b 'means of a thumb clip 21 coacting'with a p ate 22 on the casing 11.

One of the pairs of running wheels or rollers is mounted so as'to be vertically adjustable for raising and lowering the nozzle with relation to the surface to be cleaned accordingto the character of'such surface. In the construction shown, the rear running wheels 15 are so mounted, being carried by a shaft 25 supported in spaced bearin s at the rear end of a frame 26. The said rame is pivoted at its forward end, as shown at 27, todownwardly extending lugs orprojections on a plate 28 which is secured to the bottom of the casing 10. For adjusting the position of the frame 26 and the wheels car ried thereby with respect to the cleaner body to vary the elevation of the nozzle with respect to the normal plane of the surface to be cleaned a hand screw 29 is provided which is theaded thrdugh an extension 30 formed on the plate 28, and bears on a part 31 of the frame 26 between the ends thereof. The frame 26, as shown, is held by a spring 32 with the part 31 thereof in engagement with the end of the screw. As the weight of the cleaner body tends to hold the lower end of the screw 29 in engagement with the part 31 when the cleaner is supported on the surface to be cleaned, the spring 32 may be omitted; but I find it desirable to use the same to prevent the frame 26 and wheels from dropping away from the screw when the cleaner is lifted from the floor, carpet or other supporting surface. As shown in Fig. 4, the spring 32 is coiled about the pivot 27 and one end thereof bears against the under side of the plate 28, the other end bearing against the under side of the frame 26 and desirably projecting up into a recess 34 provided in the part 31 of the frame, as shown in Fig. 3. The screw 29, as shown, is inclined downwardly and forwardly under the rear end of the body of the cleaner and is arranged in close proximity thereto. When the adjusting member or screw 29 is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the rear end of' the suction cleaner body will be, substantially in its highest position with respect to the surface to be cleaned, and the nozzle will be in substantially its lowest position, in which most desirably its front lip is in or only slightly above the normal plane of the surface to be cleaned, as shown in Fig. 2. This position is suitable for cleaning hard surfaces such as uncarpeted floors or thin carpets, or the like. In 0 erating on carpets or rugs, it is desirable or the most eflicient cleanin that the nozzle be supported with its lips raised sufficiently so that the suction of the nozzle ma act to lift the carpet up slightly from the oor and against the nozzle lips to provide an air s ace beneath the carpet under the nozzle. y turning the adjusting screw 29, the rear end of the cleaner body may be lowered and the nozzle thereby moved upward about the wheels or rollers 13 and 14 as a fulcrum to raise the lips of the body of the nozzle away from the'normal plane of the surface to be cleaned. In Fig. 1, the cleaner is shown as operating upon the surface of a com are..- tlvely thick carpet or the like, the nozz e being lifted a su stantial distance above the normal plane of the carpet, which is shown the said shafts to'carry against inward movement on acter of such surface may be readily obtained.

Mounted normally within the mouth of the nozzle is the disturbing member 35. Sueh member ma be of any suitable material and form, but] find it best to use avrotatable brush, as shown, which extends longitudinally of the nozzle throughout substantiijally the whole length thereof. The brus as shown, is formed of a centralcore' or shaft 42 carrying a row of tuftsof suitable bristles extending spirally about the same, and is rotatabl mounted in a frame 36 which is mounte so as to normally lie entirely within the mouth of the nozzle 12. The said frame,

as shown, is of U shapei1 the rearwardly extending end portions t ereof being respectively pivoted on alined shafts 37 and 38 supported by the side walls of. the nozzle extensions 43 and 45, respectively, the said frame thus being movable about the axes of .the brush or disturbing member either into operative position in the mouth of thenozzle, as shown in Fig. 6, or to a osition out of the mouth of the nozzle, as s own in Fig. 7, where it is accessible for cleaning. The mouth of the nozzle is desirably made 9f such shape that the brush fits comparatively closely therein and so that the brush is freely movable into and out of the mouth of the nozzle. With the construction shown, the distance between the brush and the axis of said shafts or pivots is sufliciently lar e to permit the brush to be carried by the rame 36 entirely out of the mouth of the nozzle (see Fig. 7). When' the brush is in operative position in the mouth of the nozzle, the lowermost bristlesnormally project slightly below the nozzle lips. In the operation of the cleaner, these bristles ben'd so as to permit the carpet to rest flat against andin sealin engagement with the nozzle lips, the brist es scraping the top of the carpet and thereby disturbing or loosening the threads, etc., from the car at. v

g. The ame 36 is most desirably made of aresilient strip of sheet metal bent to U shape, the c ntral portion thereof extending lon itudina' ly of the mouth of the nozzle an in close'proximity to the front wall thereof, the end portions thereofiextending close to the inner surfaces of the outer walls I *of the extensions 43 and 45i1respectively and the latter at t eir inner .ends. portion of the. frame which is as shown, held the said shaft ns The en mounted on the shaft 37 is,

by a spacing ferrule together with the disturbin member 35 rative position within lie nozzle; suita le fastening-or latching; means are ro- In order to d tachably hold the frame 36 39, as shown,

ly employe by "entirelyabove'the lowenedge thereof, the

ticularlyhn Fig. 8, comprise a pin 50 projecting inward from the front wall of the nozzle'to c oact with the walls of an L-shaped or undercut notch 51 in the central part of the frame 36. .In order to make possible longitudinal movement of the front part of the frame containing the said notch so as to permit relative movement between the pin 50 and thenotch the side portions of the frame, which as hereinbefore stated is resilient, are desirably inclined forwardly and inwardly away from the adjacent walls of the extensions 43 and 45; so that, with the rear ends of the frame engaging the ,outer side walls of the said extensions to the notch connecting said firstsnamed edge with the top edge of the frame are most desirably beveled as shown in Fig. 8, so that it is ossible by merely pressing inwardly or pix ling outwardly on the frame to force the same into or out of o erative latched position within the nozzle, t e beveled edges of the notch coacting with the pin 50 to force the frame 36 longitudinally sufiiciently to enable the pin 50 to enter or leave the notch, the resilienc of the frame then moving it lon itudinali y back to, its normal position. 0 course, if desired, the frame may be moved longitudinally of the nozzle as well as inwardly or outwardly by hand. Various means other than those described may obviously be used to secure the frame in osition.

he brush or disturbing member 35 is most desirably driven from one of the front running wheels, and I have found that the said brush or disturbing member operates most efficiently to loosen the threads, fibers, etc., when it is caused to rotate in the same direction as the said running or traction wheel, but at a'greater peripheral speed. In the construction shown, the traction wheel- 14 is secured to and rotates the shaft 38, which latter has the grooved pulley 39 pinned or-otherwise connected to turn therewith, the said pulley being connected by a belt 40 to drive the brush shaft 42. The belt 40 is most desirably made of elastic tension material, such as rubber, and runs on a small pulle 41 on the brush shaft which may bean desirably is formed of a. short length of rubber tubing securely held on the shaft 42 by its own resiliency. If the shaft 42 is of sufficient size the pulley 41 may, if desired, be omitted, the belt 40 passing directly around the shaft 42. The pulley is housed in the extension 43 latter ing-desirably made of sucha size as to accommodate within the same the said pulley and the adjacent end of the frame 36 substantiall without leaving any excess space therein. The pulley 41 is desirably 5 of smaller diameter than the pulley 39 so that the brush or disturbing member 35 rotates with sufficient rapidity to produce a vigorous brushing action upon the carpet or other surface being cleaned to effectively 1 loosen the threads, lint, fibers and other material which tend to stick to the carpet and resist the action of the current of air when not disturbed by some other means. As the pulley 39 and the frame 36 move about the 1 same pivotal axis, there is no interference with the driving connection between the said pulley and the brush upon the pivotal movement of the said frame.

The shafts 37 and 38 project through the outer side walls of the extensions 43 and 45,

the running wheels or rollers 13 and 14 being mounted upon the outer ends thereof and arranged adjacent to the outer sides of the said extensions and to the end portions 44 of the body of the nozzle, the said wheels or rollers being arranged to the rear of the said end portions. The distance between the wheels 13 and 14 and the adjacent portions of the nozzle should be sufiicient to enable an the carpet or other material to be cleaned to bend around the said wheels into substantial sealing engagement with the portions of the nozzle lips adjacent the respective wheels. As shown, the distance between the inner facel of the said wheels and the inner edge of adjacent portions of the nozzle is somewhat greater than the distance the said wheels project below the nozzle lips. This is found to permit the necessary degree of 40 sealing contact between the carpet and the nozzle lips to avoid any substantial loss of suction, and provides a very compact construction. The ends of the nozzle desirably extend slightly beyond the wheels 13 and 14 so that the end portions of the nozzle form an effective protecting guard for the wheels. A firm driving connection between the pulley 14 and the shaft 36 is secured in a simple way by knurling the outer end of the shaft,

as shown in Fig. 4, and driving the pulley onto the knurled end. The shaft 37 on which the wheel or roller 13 revolves has its inner end threaded into the inner wall of the extension 45, the wheel or roller 13 being held against outward movement on the shaft, as by the cotter pin 71.

It is frequently desirable in the operation of suction cleaners to tilt the cleaner by the handle rod to lift one end of the nozzle away so from the surface being cleaned and thereby produce a strong current of air over and against the said surface to p1ck up more readily threads, etc, which tend to adhere obstinately to the said surface. The ar- 66 rangement of the front running wheels 13 and 14 outside of the nozzle permits the cleaner. to be tilted on one of the widely spaced front running wheels and one of the closely arranged rear running wheels without moving the nozzle into scraping engage- 7o ment with the surface being cleaned.

The upper end of the handle rod 16 is, as shown, provided with a grip or handle piece of wood or other poor conductor of electricity, secured, as by a screw 68 (see Fig. 9), to a bent hollow ferrule 61, which is desirably of metal and into which the upper end of the handle rod 16 extends and is secured, as by screws, as shown. The ferrule is bent so that thegrip 60 will extend at a 30 suitable angle to the handle rod. The usual flexible conductor cable 62 for supplying current to the motor extends from a plug 63 detachably attached to the motor casing 11 and having electrical connections to the motor, said cable extending upward along the handle rod, being housed in a groove in the under side of the said rod. At the upper end of the handle rod near the grip 60 the cable is connected to, a switch 64 mounted within a casing 65. From the said switch extends the long flexible conductor cable 66 whereby the cleaner is adapted to be attached to the source of current supply. The handle 16 is most desirably made of wood or other poor conductor of electricity and the casing 65 is most desirably made of metal. In order to minimize the danger of electric shocks to the user of the apparatus,

the casing 65 is spaced from the ferrule 61; so that even if there should be a short circuiting through the metal of the switch casing 65, the current will not be conveyed to the ferrule 61 and thence to the hand of the operator which may inadvertently engage the said ferrule. 'or supporting and retaining the coiled cable 66 in convenient position on the upper portion of the handle rod, the switch casing 65 is provided with means, such as the upwardly extending hook 67 upon the upper end thereof on which the coiled cable may be hung, as shown in Fig. 9, when the cleaner is not in use. The said hook is most desirably formed integral with the switch casing.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction, arrangement and combination of parts shown and to which the foregoing description has been largely confined, but that it includes changes and modifications thereof within the claims, and that parts of the apparatus claimed may be used in combination with other parts differing from those shown. or in cleaners of other types and constrwrtion.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a suction cleaner nozzle provided with rearwardly projecting hollow extensions adjacent to its two ends, a

rotary disturbing member in said nozzle, and a support for said member comprising a frame pivoted in said extensions and extending forwardly into said nozzle, said rotary member being journaled at its ends in said frame and said frame being adapted to swin on its pivots to bring said rotary mem er outside the nozzle.

2. The combination of a suction cleaner nozzle provided with rearwardly projecting hollow extensions adjacent its two ends, a rotary disturbing member in said nozzle, a support for said member comprising a frame pivoted in said extensions and extending forwardly into said nozzle, said rotary member being journaled at its ends in said frame and said frame being adapted to be swung on its pivots to bring the brush outside the nozzle, and means for rotating said member, said means comprising a traction wheel located outside of one of said extensions, and a member driven by said traction wheel and arranged inside of said extension and connected to drive the said disturbing member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM W. ROSENFIELD.

Witnesses:

ETHEL J oHNEs, FREDERICK BACHMANN. 

